Synth's Promise - Silver Beloved Badge

“Synth?” Wyrm stood in the doorway, they had thrown on their gear as soon as Sunspot cleared them, except for their gasmask which was now around their neck. “What are we doing here?”

“Hmm?” Synth looked up from where they were putting finishing touches on a nest of bedding, hopefully big enough to accommodate both of them. That is, if Wyrm was comfortable with Synth sleeping in the same cuddle pile. Wyrm was clearly touch starved, but Synth didn’t want to push his limits too far. He was, however, going to sleep in the same room no matter what, Wyrm needed someone to keep an eye on him in case he had an adrenaline crash and, who knows, exploded or something. “Uh, hopefully sleeping. You mentioned not being able to, and not really needing to in the rift, but if you get ahead of your body and start your circadian rhythm again correctly your body will adjust and heal better! Or something. I listen to Sunspot but I’m not the healer here, I’m just here to give you company!”

“I’m- I’m not going back in the rift?”

Synth froze, stopping what he was doing. His bright rainbow pawprints slowly faded in the following dead silence.

Aro clearly didn’t want to talk about this near Wyrm, and Aro is usually a really good model to follow, but. Well. Sometimes it’s good to give boundaries. Being thrown into a new experience, a new life, and not knowing what to expect, well that’s tough even for lons who did have a childhood and regular living interactions. Well, if Synth messed this up, then, uh. Well. That’s a problem for future Synth.

“Do you want to?”

“…”

Synth looked at Wyrm, trying to catch his eyes.

“Its all I know.” Wyrm was so quiet if it weren’t for the incredible stillness Synth wasn’t sure he would have heard it.

“Well, I’m making you a bed right now. We have been making a place for you here, if you want to stay… we’d, I’d, really like that.”

Wyrm didn’t seem convinced.

“Hey, what is it?” Synth approached him, hesitating before gently headbutting his knee, rubbing against him like an affectionate Itchigato.

“I feel like… like this is a dream. I’ve encountered a trap in the rift, I couldn’t live up to my training, to the expectations that I needed to follow. The air never moves, I can barely feel anything other than the floor, but everything is also too good to be true. If, if I fall asleep, I will never wake again.” Wyrm paused. “Except, except I can’t think of why…”

“Why?” Synth prompted gently.

“Why… why you are here.” Wyrm looked down. “I can feel you. Why… why would a trap come up with you? You are my opposite in every way. Why should you be my comfort here?”

Wanting to let Wyrm work through his thought process, Synth leaned back against Wyrm, ignoring the slight flank jump from the pouf. He had said that Synth was his comfort, so Synth would continue to do so if possible.

“Who, who ARE you?”

Synth hummed.

“You wanna go somewhere else?”

“What?”

“You mentioned that this seems like a trap to you, like you still feel you are in the rift, well, I know a place we can go that might help you ground yourself.”

Wyrm slowly nodded.

“Great! I’ll grab some blankets, Cicada may have enough fat to sleep fine in the treehouse, but I am a sensitive little vesp thank you!”

Wyrm followed Synth carefully as they weaved through the sleeping village. Eventually Synth stopped at the base of a giant tree, a door leading to Crunch and Trout’s home in the lower trunk. Synth loosed their wings before gesturing for Wyrm to follow them. Synth climbed up the tree, following the built stairway up to a well-made secure platform covered in leaves, blankets, and pillows.

Wyrm slowly stepped onto the platform after Synth. It didn’t move at all.

Synth finished making a rough nest out of the blankets, nothing like the work of art Aro had started back at the house.

Wyrm sat next to him, at first he wasn’t sure why Synth had moved them all the way across the village and up a tree when, oh.

A breeze brought the cool air against Wyrm’s nose and rustled the leaves above his head.

There was no smell in the rift. There were no rustling leaves.

Wyrm looked up. His eyes widened.

Stars. As far as you could see, the more you look the deeper they went, smaller and more fragile, but still there. Still sparkling.

Wyrm looked back down at Synth, who was yawning deeply.

“I’m nothing special. Just a vespire hybrid. I love my town, I love my family. I love to help.” Synth looked at Wyrm. “I wanted to share this with you. I will be with you, if you let me.”

Wyrm’s eyes watered for the first time they could remember. He collapsed down into the nest, crushing Synth to himself.

“Please don’t leave me. I… you barely know me, but I don’t want you to go.”

Synth groomed some of Wyrm’s mane that he could reach.

“I won’t.”